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Eye Cancer: Intraocular Melanoma

What is intraocular melanoma?

Melanoma is a serious kind of skin cancer. This cancer starts in cells called melanocytes. These cells produce the pigment that colors your skin. You also have melanocytes in your eyes. When these cells become cancer, it’s called intraocular melanoma. It’s not as common as skin melanoma. But it, too, can be life-threatening.

Intraocular melanoma is the most common type of cancer that starts in the eye in adults. But it’s still rare. In most cases, it starts in a layer of the eye called the choroid. This thin, pigmented layer of blood vessels brings oxygen and nutrients to the eye.

Intraocular melanoma can spread to other parts of your body. These include both nearby tissues and more distant places when the cancer cells travel through your lymph system or blood. It can also affect other tissues in and around your eye. These include the colored part of the eye (iris), part of the middle layer of the eye (ciliary body), the thin membrane that covers the eye (conjunctiva), and the eyelid.

What causes intraocular melanoma?

Experts aren’t exactly sure what causes intraocular melanoma. But it occurs when cells in the body change and grow out of control. These abnormal cells may grow to form a lump or mass called a tumor. If they are in the body long enough, they can grow into (invade) nearby areas. They can even spread to other parts of the body (metastasis).

Who is at risk for intraocular melanoma?

A risk factor is anything that may increase your chance of having a disease. The exact cause of someone’s cancer may not be known. But risk factors can make it more likely for a person to have cancer. Some risk factors may not be in your control. But others may be things you can change.

Anyone can develop intraocular melanoma. But certain factors may make you more likely to get it. They include:

Having fair skin and light-colored eyes

Being older

Exposure to UV light from the sun or tanning beds

Certain inherited skin problems, such as dysplastic nevus syndrome

Talk with your healthcare provider about your risk factors for intraocular melanoma and what you can do about them.

What are the symptoms of intraocular melanoma?

A small growth may not cause any symptoms. As it grows larger, your symptoms may include:

Blurry vision or sudden loss of vision

Soreness in an eye, or bulging of the eye (uncommon)

Flashes or “floaters” in your vision

Dark spot on your iris, the colored ring at the front of your eye

Change in the shape of your pupil, the black circle in the center of your eye

A change in the way your eye moves or looks

Many of these may be caused by other health problems. But it’s important to see a healthcare provider if you have these symptoms. Only a healthcare provider can tell if you have cancer.

How is intraocular melanoma diagnosed?

You will need to see a specially trained eye doctor (ophthalmologist). The doctor will ask you about your health history, symptoms, risk factors, and family history of disease. He or she will go an eye exam. During the eye exam, the doctor will use a special scope with a light (ophthalmoscope) to look at the inside of your eye.

Your eye doctor may be able to diagnose intraocular melanoma just by looking at your eye. But you may also need one of these tests:

Ultrasound. This test uses high-frequency sound waves to see the inside of your eye. It’s often used because melanomas in your eye have a certain look when seen on ultrasound. It can also show where the tumor is and how big it is.

MRI. MRIs use radio waves and strong magnets to make an image. This test is helpful in learning the size of the tumor. It’s often used to check if the cancer has spread beyond the eye.

Angiography. During this procedure, your healthcare provider injects dye into a blood vessel in your arm. Then he or she takes pictures of your eye as the dye moves through it. The dye helps to show any changes more clearly.

Biopsy. Your healthcare provider may need to take a small tissue sample from the growth. This is rarely done because other tests work well to diagnose intraocular melanoma.

After a diagnosis of intraocular melanoma, you’ll likely need other tests. These help your healthcare providers learn more about the cancer. They can help figure out the stage of cancer. The stage is how much and how far the cancer has spread (metastasized) in your body. Your doctor may use the term “category,” too. This is a description of how thick and wide the tumor is. These are important things to know when deciding how to treat the cancer.

Once your cancer is staged, your healthcare provider will talk with you about what the stage means for your treatment. Ask your healthcare provider to explain the stage of your cancer to you in a way you can understand.

How is intraocular melanoma treated?

Your treatment choices depend on test results, where the tumor is, and the stage of the cancer. Your ability to see in the unaffected eye, age, overall health, and personal choice will also be considered. The goals of treatment include saving the eye and keeping your ability to see, as well as keeping the cancer from spreading. Talk with your healthcare team about your treatment choices, the goals of treatment, and what the risks and side effects may be.

Treating this cancer can cause eye damage. For this reason, your healthcare provider may recommend that you not start treatment right away if you don’t have symptoms and the tumor isn’t growing. This is called watchful waiting. Your healthcare provider will see you regularly and take pictures of the tumor to track its growth. If the tumor starts to grow, you can start treatment.

Types of treatment for cancer are either local or systemic. Local treatments remove, destroy, or control cancer cells in one area. Surgery and radiation are local treatments. Systemic treatment is used to destroy or control cancer cells that may have traveled around your body. When taken by pill or injection, chemotherapy is a systemic treatment.

Based on your situation, you may have several options for treating this disease. They include:

Surgery. This is the most common treatment used. It can be used to only remove the growth and a small area of tissue around it. But in some cases, the entire eye needs to be removed. Other nearby tissues are also sometimes removed. These can include your eyelid and muscles around the eye.

Radiation. Different types of radiation can be used to treat this disease. A machine can be used to direct radiation beams into your eye. Another approach is to attach a small radioactive disk on your eye next to the tumor. This may be called plaque therapy. If you have this procedure, medicines will be used to put you into a deep sleep before it starts. The disk often stays in place for about a week.

Photocoagulation. A special laser that destroys the tumor as well as blood vessels that feed the tumor might be used. This is mostly used for small tumors.

Transpupillary thermotherapy. This is the use of heat to destroy cancer cells.

You may need other treatments if the cancer spreads to other parts of your body.

Talk with your healthcare providers about your treatment options. Make a list of questions. Think about the benefits and possible side effects of each option. Talk about your concerns with your healthcare provider before making a decision.

What can I do to prevent intraocular melanoma?

You may be able to help prevent intraocular melanoma by:

Not using tanning beds

Wearing sunglasses with 99% to 100% ultraviolet A and B (UVA and UVB) protection when outside in sunlight

When should I call my healthcare provider?

Call your healthcare provider if you have:

New symptoms or symptoms that get worse

Signs of an infection, such as a fever

Key points about intraocular melanoma

Intraocular melanoma is cancer that starts in the melanocytes in your eyes.

It’s the most common type of cancer of the eye in adults. But it’s still rare.

Risk factors for it are being older and having fair skin and light-colored eyes.

Exposure to UV light is linked to this cancer. Protect your eyes with sunglasses with 99% to 100% ultraviolet A and B (UVA and UVB) protection.

Symptoms may include blurry vision, eye soreness, or “floaters” in your vision.

Treatments for this cancer include surgery, radiation, and photocoagulation.

Next steps

Tips to help you get the most from a visit to your healthcare provider:

Know the reason for your visit and what you want to happen.

Before your visit, write down questions you want answered.

Bring someone with you to help you ask questions and remember what your provider tells you.

At the visit, write down the name of a new diagnosis, and any new medicines, treatments, or tests. Also write down any new instructions your provider gives you.

Know why a new medicine or treatment is prescribed, and how it will help you. Also know what the side effects are.

Ask if your condition can be treated in other ways.

Know why a test or procedure is recommended and what the results could mean.

Know what to expect if you do not take the medicine or have the test or procedure.

If you have a follow-up appointment, write down the date, time, and purpose for that visit.